The United States has spent more than a billion dollars in the past dozen years on humanitarian land mine removal efforts around the world.

This money has been spent to remove land mines, pay for educational messages on the risks posed by mines, help victims of mine injuries, and fund research and development to improve existing humanitarian mine removal programs.

In 2001, the Federal Foreign Office Task
Force for Humanitarian Aid funded aid projects around the world to a tune
of DM 131.6 million (67.1 million euro), representing an increase of 13%
on the year 2000. A total of approximately 470 projects were financed,
of which 40 projects were concerned with humanitarian demining.

This paper is based on the coordinated views of analysts and experts from agencies across the federal government. It was produced by the National Intelligence Council under the auspices of David F. Gordon, National Intelligence Officer for Economics and Global Issues.Queries should be addressed to Dr. Gordon at the National Intelligence Council.Information available as of 15 August 2001 was used in preparing this report.

The United States is contributing $26 million
more this fiscal year to help fund the programs of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker
announced April 11. This will bring total U.S. contributions to UNHCR this
year to $172.5 million.

Liz O'Donnell T.D., Minister of State at
the Department of Foreign Affairs (with Special Responsibility for Overseas
Development Assistance and Human Rights), has announced an unprecedented
package of humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance to benefit 21 of
the world's poorest and crisis-stricken countries.

Pat Patierno, Director, Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs,
Bureau of Political Military AffairsAddress at the forum, "Landmines: Human Rights and National Security" Sponsored by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, New York City, May 15, 2000

Good morning. Since I assumed my current position 2 years ago, I have made a number of presentations on the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program, its objectives, and its accomplishments.